Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-07-29
A Grent Library.

A Great Library.
Speaking to a Philadelphia Times repre-
sentative about the massive edifice authori-
zed by Congress for the accommodation of
the National library of the United States,
Librarian Spdfford said
"The capacity of the building will be for
three and half millions of books We
now have $40, 900 volumes, not counting
200, 900 pamphlets and a large and rare col
lection Of manuscripts. The interior of the
building will be finished for the books we
now have, leaving the introduction Of al
ditional iron alcoves as required by the
growth of the future"
"How long will it take 70 fiji the build
ing I"
AT the probable rate of increase, about
two centuries The present growth is
about % 900 volumes annually. There will
be large reserve space in the rear of the
building for the construction Of an annex,
which will accommodate 1000, 600 more
volumes The growth Of great libraries in
the United States and other countries in
the nature of things is without limit, so
enormous has become the development of
the art OF printing. This library in the
United States is destined TO distance all
others in the future. When / took charge
Of this library twenty-five years ago there
were twenty-five large libraries in the
world. Now there are but five larger.
Until recently the Boston public library,
founded in 1852, from funds raised by city
taxation on a liberal scale, was the largest
in the United States, with 430, 600 volumes.
Now this library exceeds it by nearly POO,
900 volumes The Philadelphia Library
company, founded in 1881, and Mercantile
library, of Philadelphia, founded in 1921,
have less than one-third the number in this
library.
The largest library in the world is the
Bibliotheque Rationale of France, formerly
Royal, then Imperial, according TO the
changes of the government. 1t was found
ed in 1907 by IA royal printing tax requir-
ing a copy of each book printed for the
Kings library and contains ., $50. 900 vol
umes The library Of the British museum.
founded in 1853 from a donation Of books
and the private gallery Of Sir Hans Sloan,
contains 5000 volumes 1t became u
great library through liberal donations
from subjects Of the crown including many
great private libraries The books, engrav-
Ings, arts, antiquities and natural history
have long since outgrown their present
quarters. All collections except books, en-
cravings and few antiquities have been
successively removed to Kensngton to
make room. The st. Petersburg Imperial
library, founded by ukase of the Gar, has
| 900, 900 volumes. The ROYAL library Of
Berlin, founded by Il copy tax in 1861 the
oldest big library ON the globe, has 700, 900
volumes The library of Munich, Bavaria
founded i'll the sixteenth century, claims
800, 900 volumes, but includes pamphlets,
which we do not. If we counted pamph-
lets we would have $4,000. The next in
size is the library of Congress, which is our
national collection.
"A great library is like great army a
chaotic mass without organization, but
when divided into army corps brigades,
regiments and companies you can put your
finger ON every man. So with books no
matter how vast the collection, once adopt
clear and Ineligible system of classifca-
ton and any one of the million volumes
may be found as readily as if there were
but few hundred
The origin of the library of Congress
was an appropriation of few hundred dol
lars in 1900, the year the government oc-
cupied Washington. President jefferson
took great interest in it. John Randolph,
chairman of a special committee, reported
in 1901 favOring a liberal policy towards it.
In 1914 the library had but 1900 volumes
and 81 900 a year. In that year it was
burned by the British. jefferson, overtak-
en- by debts, rendered his library of 500
volumes, which was purchased by Congress
for $23, $50. In 1851 it reached /, 800 vol
| umes, when it was again almost totally de
| stroyed by fire. About 20, 900 volumes, the
| valuable portion, were saved. In 1866, two
| years after my appointment as librarian, it
had but 10000 1t has now, as have said,
| $40, 600 volumes and POO, 900 pamphlets 1t
is peculiarly rich in rare American manu-
scripts and works on American discovery,
settlement, history, biography, politics and
resources. Its collection of foreign and
scientific works and law library have no
equals here
The Alexandrian library, said to have
contained 700, 900 volumes and burned by
the Caliph Omar in the seventh century, is
lost in the midst of fiction and tradition.
Much that is said about it has been proven
apocryphal upon highest authority There
| is no doubt of "a collection of books having
existed and some were burned, but as to
the number said to have been destroyed
centuries before the invention of printing,
| that is impossible All volumes then were
in manuscript. The earliest approach to a
library was brought to light in recent AS
| syrian discoveries and consisted of Baby
lonish books on clay tablets, supposed for
public instruction, $50 B. c. The public
library, as we understand it, is a modern
invention, presume the oldest library in
the United States in existence is the Phila-
delphia library, founded over a century
and IA half ago. The number of public Ii
braries in the United States today runs W
into the thousands. Hardly community
of thousand or two of people is without
some kind of a collection"
When do you expect to occupy the new
building =
1T will be under roof in two years and
a half, or say in 1889 the exterior will be
completed. The interior will be arranged
for about million books to begin with
After that we can spread out as the in
crease of books demands"